Somewhere between William Lustigís Maniac and Jorg Buttgereitís Nekromantik lies Lucker, a low-budget gorefest from German filmmaker Johan Vandewoestijne. Itís not so much a film as it is an endurance test: a misogynistic, non-stop barrage of vicious and prolonged murder set pieces, with explicit bits of necrophilia sprinkled about for good measure. Just over twenty years after its initial release, Lucker remains as uncomfortable and vicious today as it was in 1986.

John Lucker (Nick Van Suyt) is a captured serial killer recovering from a suicide attempt in a private clinic. After taking advantage of the clinicís lax security, the crazed murderer escapes only to discover that his would-be victim, Cathy Jordan, has survived his killing spree. Enraged that someone has escaped his wrath, Lucker heads back into the city seeking bloody closure and leaving a bundle of new victims in his wake.

If thereís one audience that will undoubtedly find value in Luckerís thin premise, itís the fans of European chunkblower cinema. Those waned on the gory excesses of Fulci, Deodato, and Mattei should revel in Luckerís uncomfortable and lingering moments of murder. Victims are strangled, eyes are gouged, throats are slashed, bellies are stabbed, heads are bashed, with the camera capturing, and lingering on, every gory detail. There isnít much else happening in Lucker, but if itís gore you want, then hereís your fix.

Unfortunately, once you look past the frequent death scenes it becomes all too clear that the film has nothing left to offer. With a story so thin itís nonexistent, and psychology so shallow it makes Maniac look like a probing character study, thereís really nothing left to recommend to viewers seeking something more than exploitative shocks.

The biggest problem, however, isnít the lack of substance, but rather the one-note formula of the proceedings. Itís literally 68 minutes of murder and rape, wall to wall. And while I pride myself on being one of the biggest fans of violent and sleazy outrť cinema, when thereís nothing else on the table, the subject matter tends to overstay its welcome. Thatís what happens to Lucker. By the time our title character has claimed his fifth victim, moved into her apartment and allowed her body to decompose for four weeks before stripping off his clothes and molesting the body (with some truly disgusting, Ďwetí sound design here), tedium begins to set in. The subject matter is repugnant, yes, but also far too repetitious to sustain its desired effect.

Rating for Style: C+Rating for Substance: C-

Image Transfer

One

Two

Aspect Ratio

1.85:1 - Widescreen

1.85:1 - Widescreen

Original Aspect Ratio

yes

yes

Anamorphic

yes

no

Image Transfer Review:Lucker arrives on DVD courtesy of Synapse Films and its quality is a bit of a special circumstance. Unfortunately, the original film materials were destroyed, leaving only video sources available for this transfer. While the end result is certainly not indicative of typical DVD quality, the transfer offers interested parties a respectable way to view the movie.

The 1.85:1 presentation is washed out and soft, complete with the occasional tracking lines from the VHS source, save one obvious recent insert created for this directorís cut: a crystal clear cityscape pan at the 18-minute mark. The rest of the image, while flawed, is consistent and watchable. Colors still manage to pop even if the detail varies from scene to scene. Synapse doesnít often play it safe; many of their releases are not the easiest titles to introduce to the digital age, and this one is no different. But like all past efforts from Synapse, this one manages to impress.

This is the best that Lucker is ever going to look, and Iíd rather have this title on DVD, than never see it released stateside at all.

Image Transfer Grade: B

Audio Transfer

Language

Remote Access

Dolby Digital3.0

English

no

Audio Transfer Review: The sole audio track, Dolby Digital Stereo, isn't too aggressive, but voices are crystal clear and the effective, sickening splats and slurps of the sound effects are successfully intact. This isn't a film that needs a 5.1 mix simply for the sake of having one. The track provided is a solid one.

Disc Extras

The original VHS version of Lucker. A non-anamorphic, widescreen VHS transfer that runs 74 minutes.

Extras Review: The first of two extras on this disc: the original VHS version of Lucker. A nonanamorphic widescreen print of the film with burnt-in German subtitles is included as a curiosity piece. Running six minutes longer than the director's cut, there isn't much to recommend about this version. There's no extra violence or character stuff to be found; rather the footage excised from this cut isn't much more than a newly freed Lucker wandering around the city and bathing himself in a public fountain. Still, fans of the film will probably enjoy having this alternate version, although the image is a wobbly mess and the burnt in subtitles make viewing it a chore.

The 36-minute documentary Lucker: The Story Behind the Film is really just a long sit-down with the director. He details his amusing motivations for making the film and chronicles the severe backlash received after its release. Also explored is the reason for the "director's cut" and an interesting idea for a sequel, which would continue the exploits of one of the film's characters. This discussion is extensive and is a must-see for any fans of the film.

Extras Grade: B

Final Comments

With low-budget, yet convincing gore FX, gritty locales and an endless string of killings, Lucker isnít a bad way to kill some time for the hardcore horror fans seeking a crimson fix. For all others, however, this is a cheap and nasty little production that will likely disgust, then bore, its viewer.